The Cursed Ones
by Shaded Whispers
Summary: On the fifth birthday, every child receives a Gift from their Guardian Angel-but for Matthew, Lovino, and Yao, the Gifts are Curses from the Corrupted Angels. They meet in grade school, brought together by their curses, building an unbreakable friendship.
1. Prologue

**Summary- On their fifth birthday, every child is given a gift by their guardian angel-though for Matthew, Lovino, and Yao, their gifts are more like curses. These three boys find friends in each other in an international elementary school, brought together by the fact they're the only Cursed ones there.**

**Main Characters- Matthew(Canada), Lovino(Romano), Yao(China)**

**Warnings- Human names used, Slash/yaoi, neglect, cliche'd bully!Ivan, etc**

**Pairings- MAIN: PruCan, SpaMano, NiChu(JapanxChina)- SIDE: USUK, JoKer(TurkeyxGreece), GerIta, mentioned AusSwitz, Onesided RoChu**

**Disclaimer- I own NOTHING.**

**-PROLOGUE-**

"Are you excited, Matthew?" a friendly woman smiled at her eldest son, holding him close as her younger son cuddled up to their father. "You're turning five today. Your Guardian Angel comes today, you'll finally get your Gift."

Matthew smiled and hugged his mom. "When will my Guardian Angel get here?" he asked. "When?"

"Your Angel will arrive exactly at the time you were born at-down to the second. Ten minutes from now, your Angel will show up," the father told his son while ruffling Alfred's hair. "And then fifteen minutes later, Alfred's angel will come." Matthew smiled at his twin brother happily, who grinned back. It was funny to them-they were twins, but that fifteen minute gap between them was able to separate their birthdays. Matthew's was that day; Alfred's was the next day.

So Alfred and Matthew climbed down onto the floor in order to play with their toy superheroes more, while their parents watched, content. Everything was fine for the next ten minutes.

Then everything went to Hell for Matthew.

When Helena said to the very second of his birth, she wasn't kidding. The moment the clock struck 11:49:37, a man in a long white robe appeared in the room.

The man was tall, and his robe was perfectly white-but his wings and beard were perfectly black. This, of course, alarmed the parents who stood to their feet, for this wasn't just any Guardian Angel; it was a Corrupted One.

But the mortal parents could do nothing to help their Chosen Cursed Son, who never knew what a Guardian Angel looked like. He didn't hesitate to run to the Corrupted Angel, excitement clear in his eyes.

The Corrupted Angel smirked and picked the unsuspecting child up. "So you are Matthew Williams-Jones?" he asked, voice smooth and deep, soothing. Matthew nodded as the Corrupted One smirked. "I see. And you want your gift now, am I right?" The child nodded again, excitedly. "Very well. I will give your gift to you. I give you the Cursed Gift of Invisibility.

"You shall be invisible to those around you-often forgotten. No one will see you unless you _make _them see you. When they look at you, they will see air; yet if they look in anger, they will see your brother."

Matthew stared wide-eyed at this, excitement gone. "That doesn't sound like a gift," he said quietly, looking over at his parents. They looked upset, but the "gift" already seemed to be affecting them, as recognicion seemed to be fading, and despair turned into confusion.

"It's not a gift," the Corrupted Angel laughed, putting the child on the ground. "It is a curse. Have a good birthday, oh Cursed One."

Matthew looked at his parents, who were suddenly with Alfred, talking about _his _Guardian Angel's gift, and how wonderful it would be, and how happy they were to have him as their son. The self-proclaimed Canadian slowly walked over to his parents.

"Mom...? Dad...? Was that my Angel?" he asked quietly, but neither parents nor brother even spared him a glance.

**..**

"Ve~ Fratello~ Your Angel will appear in a few minutes!" a childish voice called to its brother, pulling him into a happy hug. "I bet it'll be a really pretty Angel who's going to give you the ability to make any plant grow~ You'll be able to grow those tomatoes you love so much!"

Lovino pushed his younger brother off himself. "I hope so," he muttered, sulking at the table where he and his family were eating supper. It was pasta, of course.

"Be happier, Lovino," their grandfather laughed with his son and daughter-in-law, the two children's parents. "You're only given a gift once in your life, you know. Be excited for it. Now, go into the living room and prepare for your Angel." Lovino just grumbled something inaudible, but stood up and went to do as his grandfather commanded.

After a few minutes, his family came into the room. After another minute or so, as soon as the clock said it was the second of his birth, his Angel appeared.

Like Matthew's Angel, this Angel's robe was perfectly white, though this one was more form-fitting as, like Feliciano predicted, it was a woman. However, just as Matthew's Angel, this Angel had perfectly black hair, perfectly black wings, and a perfectly cruel smirk.

Unlike Matthew, Lovino knew what Corrupted Angels looked like. He knew true Guardian Angels had perfectly white wings and any hair colour other than pitch-black. If they did have black hair, there was always a blue tint to it, but this Angel's hair was as black as black could be.

Immediately, Lovino tried to flee, but the Corrupted Angel swooped him up into her arms.

"Lovino Romano Vargas, I presume," she started, her voice strong and dangerous. "I see you recognize me for what I am. I assume you realize I shall not give you a gift, but a curse, young Chosen Cursed?" The Angel smirked at the struggling, cursing Lovino. Then the angel noticed Grandpa Romulus coming towards them, about to use his Gift to be rid of the Corrupted Angel.

"I bestow upon you the Cursed Gift of Nullification," she said, staring directly at Romulus and smirking in satisfaction when his eyes widened. His Gift had shorted out. "Anyone in the same room as you's Gift will be nullified, and unless they are away from you, cannot use their Gift for any reason."

"Please no!" Lovino's mother cried out. "He'll be shunned for that!"

The Corrupted Angel's smirk grew. "And that, insolent woman, is the purpose of this curse." She unceromoniously dropped Lovino to the ground, who immediately ran over and hugged his father's leg-but his father offered no comfort.

"Addio, Cursed One," the Angel taunted before fading into nothing.

**..**

_**300 Years Ago**_

"Wang Yao, your Angel shall be appearing soon. Go prepare yourself for His arrival," a Chinese man gently told his son, who hastened to obey his father's command.

Wang Yao bathed in water set out for "purification", for it was tradition. Lore had it that one who did not undergo the purification process or did not follow it correctly would end up with a Corrupted Angel-become a Cursed One. Wang Yao did not want to be one of these, so he bathed in the Holy Water. Local village women prepared black paints, and after he was dressed in his own white robe, he sat down and allowed the women to paint the traditional symbols onto his forehead.

After this was complete, he stood and made his way to the temple, where every son went to receive his Gift(daughters received theirs in the privacy of their homes). Sometimes they had to temporarily change to a different temple because there would be the appearance of a Corrupted Angel, at which point the child in question would be cast out of the village and expected to die. It was cruel, but it was the only way they knew to keep the bloodlines clean, for they believed Cursed Ones' destinies were passed from Cursed Ones of before.

He sat awaiting his Angel, and when the Angel arrived, everyone was surprised. The Angel was female, which was rare for Angels in China and usually came with a blessing. But that wasn't what had these people surprised. What surprised them was the ebony hair and wings, black as a moonless starless midnight.

The Corrupted Angel smiled a dangerous smile and knelt down in front of the surprised, confused boy. "I know what they do to Cursed Ones, Wang Yao. Know I will not let them harm you for something you could not control. But... nothing comes without a price." The Angel's smile widened, and out her left hand on his head to keep him in place.

"For you I give the Cursed Gift, Immortality. You shall walk this Earth forever, never dying. No sword or knife can stop your heart; you shall never starve or thirst. Heat will take its toll, as will the cold, but they shall not stop the beating of your heart. Most importantly... you shall never age."

"No," Wang Yao whispered, watching the Corrupted Angel start to fade. "I followed the purification process perfectly. How-?"

"That purification process makes no difference," the Angel laughed cruelly, fading slowly. "The Cursed Ones are chosen thousands of years before they are born! Foolish children of China, believing your ancestors understood the Guardian and Corrupted Angels. No one understands us, young Accursed Chosen. No one."

Then the Corrupted Angel was gone, and nothing but silence filled the temple.

**..**

_**America, 300 Years Later**_

Matthew sighed as he sat in the classroom of his first grade class, full of six year olds and one five year old who, people whispered, never aged. Their teacher had just passed out colouring pages, unsurprisingly forgetting about Matthew.

So Matthew watched his younger brother colour a page happily, not noticing his brother didn't have a page. He never noticed Matthew anymore-no one did. After all, that was the child's curse.

The teacher opened the door and talked for a few moments with Principal Vargas, then led a child who didn't look happy at all into the classroom.

The change in the classroom was immediately noticeable to all of them, and everyone stared at the boy at the front of the class.

"Everybody, this is Lovino Vargas," the teacher introduced with a slightly-faked smile. "He just transferred from a private school in Italy to attend his grandfather's school at his parents' wishes. Any questions?"

Alfred immediately raised his hand. "What's your Gift?" he asked happily.

Lovino's face went red and he looked down. "Erm, I don't have one," he mumbled. It was true. There was a difference between a Curse and a Gift.

SIlence filled the classroom, and only two other students knew what it meant. None of the other kids had ever been taught about Curses, as no one ever expects their children to associate with them. It's something people with Gifts don't learn about until their freshman year of highschool.

"Your Angel never came?" Alfred asked, surprised.

"That's enough, Alfred," the teacher interrupted, still with that fake smile. "Lovino, go sit next to Matthew Williams, he's the-" she suddenly took a double-take, then pulled out her book. "Er, yes, Matthew Williams, he's the long-haired blond behind the Chinese boy, Wang Yao."

Matthew was surprised, as were a lot of others who turned in their seats to look at him.

"Mattie!" Alfred exclaimed, surprised. "How long have you been there?"

"The whole time, Alfred," Matthew sighed, staring at his desk. Lovino walked over and took the seat on the other side of Matthew, and the teacher came to give him a colouring page. She paused upon noticing Matthew didn't have a page.

"Matthew, why don't you have a page?"

"You didn't give me one, Ma'am," he answered, glancing to the side in embarrassment.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, going to get another colouring page.

"I tried," Matthew mumbled, staring down in embarrassment. "How come you notice me now..."

Yao turned around in his seat to look at Matthew, also surprised. "I thought this seat was empty-aru..."

Matthew smiled nervously. "No, I just... was "gifted" with invisibility... which is why I wonder why everyone can see me now."

"That's because of me," Lovino muttered so only the three could hear. "I nullify 'Gifts' and 'Curses'..." Lovino noticed the two boys staring at him not with disdain, but with awe. "What?"

"So you're a Cursed One?" Matthew asked, lowering his voice even quieter than normal.

"Si, so what?" Lovino asked, scowling.

"I'm Cursed too," Matthew answered sheepishly, glancing up at the front where the teacher had everyone's attention but theirs, showing off some kid named Francis' colouring page and giving the story behind it. "I was given the Curse invisibility," he explained.

"I'm cursed too-aru," Yao said just as quietly. "Immortality. I can't age. I've been in this class for at least a hundred years now-aru." The other two stared at him in disbelief. "It's true-aru."

"I believe you," Matthew stated quietly.

"So you never got to experience adulthood or get married or anything?" Lovino asked, seeming to be horrified at the thought. Well, he was Italian, of course a life without some kind of romance didn't seem right to him...

Yao nodded in confirmation. "Never, not in the three hundred years I've been five-aru."

"That's so sad," Matthew whispered and Lovino nodded in agreement. Then Lovino seemed to remember.

"Well, if you stay in the same room with me every single day for the rest of forever, you'd grow up," he declared, grinning. "I'd nullify you immortality." He looked at Matthew. "And your invisibility. You two seem like good people. I think I could stand you two for eternity."

The three boys began laughing, startling the students who had never heard Matthew and Yao laugh before.

"Boys! Be careful or else I'll separate you three," the teacher warned, but didn't look like she was being serious. Still, the three children all nodded and settled down.

And although they didn't quite realize it then, but this was the beginning of a wonderful friendship-a bond between the three Major Curses of Invisibility, Nullification, and Immortality.


	2. Can We Be Brothers Please, Nonno?

**Wow, this got a bigger response than I ever thought it would. I'm glad so many people like it! I just hope I can live up to your expectations!**

**Someone asked what happens when Lovino ISN'T in a room but instead in something like an open field. It was such a good and legit question I just had to put it here. However, as not to give away part of the future story, that'll be explained later. Sorry~**

**Another thing, some of you MAY have noticed the advanced-for-a-six-year-old language the main trio uses. Since most Cursed children are outcast in society and feel an extreme need to prove themselves, they start learning before other kids. Of course Yao obviously isn't like that since he's 305 years old. Heh.**

**This chapter focuses on the adoption of Yao by the Vargas family, because honestly, if he can't age then there'd be no story. He's important later. I need him in the high school. It's probably not nearly as good as chapter 1...  
**

**Also, Lovino finally begins to say "Chigi" in this chapter!  
**

**..**

Ever since they met in that first grade classroom, the three children became nearly inseparable. Every day after school found the three boys in one or the others' homes, playing games in their rooms and just over all having the fun that none of them had had since their fifth birthdays.

One afternoon before the end of their first grade year, the boys had an interesting conversation.

"So Yao," Matthew asked one day, laying on Lovino's bed and looking at his Chinese friend, "Who are you staying with if you were run out of your village?"

"My home tends to change a lot-aru," Yao admitted. "Not many people want a kid that'll never grow up-aru."

"You should live with me," Lovino declared. "Even if Grandpa said no, our house is so big he wouldn't even know you were here. He'd say yes anyway-they've been waiting for a chance for me to prove my curse isn't so bad. Papa barely looks at me anymore..."

"When we're old enough," Matthew suddenly started, "since our families seem so sad about our curses, we should all run away together and be brothers! You two are much funner to be around than Alfred. All he wants to do is play hero-and then he forgets I'm even there, if he even noticed in the first place!"

"It'd be nice to have brothers who actually understand," Lovino admitted. "Feli is nice and all, but he has a Gift, not a Curse-he doesn't understand."

"I don't even have brothers-aru," Yao stated, glancing up at the ceiling. "It'd be nice to have a family again-aru. And one I could grow up with too-aru!"

"Really, you need to stay here," Lovino told him. "High School would be boring without all three of us together."

"You'd have to talk to the government about that-aru," Yao told him, sighing. "I'm not sure they would allow it-aru."

"My Grandpa is Romulus Vargas," Lovino scoffed. "If he says he wants you to stay here, they'll let you stay. Come on! Let's go talk to him! It'd be so cool to have a Chinese brother! And later we'll have a Canadian brother!" he grinned. "I wonder if we can convince your parents to let you stay too, Matthew..."

"I doubt it," Matthew laughed at his normally angry friend's excitement. "When you're around they still love me. It's only when you're gone they forget."

"Nullification seems to be more of a Gift than a Curse with us around-aru," Yao commented.

"With me around, there's no such thing," Lovino smirked proudly. "You don't have Curses around me!"

"Watch the ego-aru," Yao teased, making a pushing-away motion. "I don't want to be squashed-aru!"

Lovino glared at the immortal child while Matthew fell off the bed in a peel of laughter. Yao just grinned back in response to the glare, and soon all three boys were laughing.

There was a knock on the door. "Lovino, you and your friends should quiet down a little, I can hear you from all the way downstairs."

"Nonno!" Lovino suddenly called, jumping up and running to the door. He pulled it open. "Nonno, can Yao please stay here for the rest of eternity with me? Please?"

Romulus was startled, to say the least. Sure Lovino was different with his two friends, but he had never seen him so excited about anything.

The other two children ran up behind Lovino, both looking pleading.

He decided to hear them out.

"Why?" He asked his grandson, who seemed to have hope since it wasn't an outright refusal.

"School will be boring without him, and he'll never grow up without me around," Lovino explained. Romulus already knew his friends were Cursed Ones, so it didn't really matter that he was revealing it. "I nullify his Curse, and if he stays with me he'll grow up just like me and Mattie! Please, Nonno? Please please please ple-"

"I'll see what I can do," Romulus promised his grandson, thoroughly pleased that the thought of having Yao with them would make Lovino so happy. He decided he would seriously consider it.

The smile on Lovino's face had never been so big before, and Romulus knew Feliciano would be sad he missed it. "Grazie, Nonno!" he exclaimed, hugging his grandfather's legs. Then he and the three excited boys ran back into the bedroom to continue their plans for the future.

"I like your grandfather," Matthew told Lovino. "He doesn't seem too sad about you being Cursed."

"He's the only one," Lovino confided. "The Vargas family has never had a Curse before, and my parents sent me here because they didn't want Feli to feel sad about not being able to use his Gift. He got superior skill in the arts," he added almost as an afterthought.

"That's blatant favouritism-aru," Yao stated flatly, and the two other children, though they had superior vocabulary to most their age, looked confused. "It's obvious they like Feli better," he explained. "You only effect those in the same room as you, so they didn't need to send you to America."

"Well I'm glad they did," Lovino stated. "It was always weird. No one knew what to say to me. And I met you two! Just imagine if I hadn't come! I'd be at home, miserable and kept in my room so Feli could paint, you'd still be invisible and Yao would be in that class for another hundred years and we'd have never met."

"Good point," Matthew nodded in agreement. "It's good you came. If you didn't, we wouldn't have this trio. I hope you get to stay, Yao-you won't end up moving away to somewhere far away."

"I think Nonno will at least try," Lovino told them. "He likes seeing me happy. You know, since it's apparently so rare. Stop laughing! Chigiiii..."

**Meanwhile**

"Si, I am calling about a child... His name is Wang Yao. Yes, Chinese. Hm? Yes, him. Well, my grandson has become good friends with him. Yes, we are aware of the situation. My grandson is able to help with it. What? No, not Feliciano, he's still in Italia. Yes, Lovino. Hm? Take a look at his Gift. Yes, his gift is a Curse. Look at what it is, though. Yes, nullification. The kid's been five for three-hundred years. I think it's time for him to grow up. Alright. Grazie. Addio."

**Later**

"Alright Lovino," Romulus started after they got back from taking Matthew and Yao home. "I spoke with the foster care people." Lovino immediately looked up at his grandfather.

"What'd they say?" he asked excitedly. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Romulus was once again startled by his excitement. The fact that there were people out there who thought of him as Gifted instead of Cursed probably had something to do with it-and the thought of one coming to live with him must have been even better to the child.

"They said they would meet with me then make their decision," Romulus told him. "You know-"

"I bet it wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't Yao," Lovino pouted, crossing his arms and looking away. "If it's been someone with just a Gift instead of a Curse, they wouldn't need to meet with you."

"They just want to make sure I can handle it," Romulus told his grandson, patting his head. "You'll understand eventually."

"You can handle any Cursed kids. You can handle me, so what would make Yao any different? If anything I'm the more difficult one. You can't use your Gift around me." Romulus sighed. He'd known Lovino would put up an argument.

"It'll turn out alright, Lovino, I promise," he chuckled. "This is your Grandpa Romulus here, and I'll do what it takes to make my Lovi happy."

"Chigiii! Don't call me Lovi!"


End file.
